Academic Coordinator job description
An academic coordinator runs the timetable, calendar, assessments and teacher support for a school wing or institute. The role keeps teaching on schedule and learning standards consistent across classes.
Why the role exists
Schools and colleges need someone to turn the principal's academic plan into daily practice. The coordinator builds the timetable, tracks syllabus progress, organises exams and results, and supports teachers. They report to the principal or vice principal and work with heads of department and class teachers.
What the person does
- Build and update the timetable each term, including substitution cover when teachers are absent.
- Maintain the academic calendar covering exams, parent meetings, holidays, events and board submission dates.
- Track syllabus completion by subject and class and raise gaps with teachers and heads of department.
- Plan unit tests, term exams and practicals, and collect question papers, answer scripts and marks on time.
- Check lesson plans, notebooks and marking quality through regular classroom visits and sampling.
- Compile results, report cards and analysis of weak subjects for review with the principal.
- Brief new teachers on school routines, board expectations and the school management system.
- Handle parent queries on marks, attendance and timetable clashes before they reach the principal.
Skills and tools
- Timetable building for many teachers, rooms and sections
- Knowledge of board exam patterns and internal assessment schemes
- School ERP and spreadsheet use for marks, attendance and reports
- Classroom observation and giving fair feedback to teachers
- Clear writing for circulars, notices and parent communication
- Calm handling of last-minute staff absence and exam day problems
- Data review to spot weak classes and subjects
- Working with teachers, parents and management without taking sides
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Postgraduate degree and teaching degree for the level, preferred; confirm what applies with your own adviser
- Several years of classroom teaching, preferred, ideally in the same board
- Earlier experience as a senior teacher or subject lead, or equivalent experience
- Comfort with ERP tools, spreadsheets and school reporting formats
How the work is judged
- Timetable stability and how well teacher absence is covered without lost periods
- Syllabus completion in line with the academic calendar across all sections
- Exams and results delivered on schedule with few errors in marks
- Consistency of lesson planning and marking seen in classroom reviews
- Teacher and parent feedback on clarity of planning and communication
Where the role can lead
- Vice principal or principal with further leadership experience
- Head of academics across several branches of a school group
- Curriculum lead, teacher trainer or board examiner
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- Three teachers are on leave and exams start Monday. How would you rebuild the timetable?
- A subject is two chapters behind in one section. How do you find out why and what do you do?
- How do you give feedback to a senior teacher whose notebooks are rarely checked?
- Describe how you ran an exam cycle from question papers to published results.
- A parent complains that a marks entry is wrong after report cards went out. What steps follow?
- What data would you bring to the principal after a term to show which classes need support?
Hiring tips for this role
- Ask the candidate to build a sample timetable from a short list of teachers, periods and constraints. This tests real skill quickly.
- Many strong teachers are weak at admin and records. Check that the candidate has handled calendars, data and exams, not just taught well.
- Clarify whether the role covers one wing or the whole school. Scope is often vague and leads to early exits.
- Speak to a former principal or colleague about how the person worked with teachers who disagreed with them.
Questions about hiring a academic coordinator
A head of department leads one subject and its teachers. An academic coordinator looks across subjects for a wing or school, handling the timetable, calendar, exams and syllabus tracking.
Often yes, with a reduced timetable so there is time for coordination. Decide this before hiring and write the number of teaching periods into the job description to avoid overload.
Most need a school ERP for attendance and marks, plus spreadsheets and a word processor. Ask which system your school uses and test the candidate on a similar task rather than relying on the CV.
GullyHR agrees the job description and scope with you, finds and screens candidates for the permanent role and supports the offer. Your principal runs the final interview and decides.
Hiring a academic coordinator?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.